Susan Elkin meets the ArtsEd’s Chris Hocking to find out why the school continues to be so successful and is in such high demand
“I think we are probably the school of choice for anyone wanting to specialise in musical theatre” says Chris Hocking, principal designate of Arts Educational Schools in Chiswick and currently head of its highly successful Musical Theatre Course. “And our outcomes are excellent” That’s no idle boast. Scarlett, Summer and Zizi Strallen trained there as did Martin Clunes, Julie Andrews and Bonnie Langford among many other high achieving performers.
Each and every Arts Educational Schools musical theatre graduate is in, or has been in, professional work within six months of graduating. “They do the whole range” Chris says “including panto, theatre, TV, film and cruise ships.” No wonder ArtsEd won The Stage’s School of the Year 2016 award.
Arts Educational Schools operates several schools at its Chiswick headquarters – hence the plural name. Usually known simply as ArtsEd, the organisation also includes a full time day school and a well developed diverse and eclectic part time training programme – among other things.
Don’t muddle it with Tring Park School for the Performing Arts in Hertfordshire. Despite its confusing former name, it has long been completely separate from ArtsEd. Tring Park is a full-time independent boarding school, many of whose exceptionally talented students are funded through the Government’s Music and Dance Scheme.
ArtsEd (originally the Cone Ripman School) was formed in 1939 from the merger of two schools: one started by Grace Cone in 1919 and the other by Olive Ripman in 1922. In 1986 it purchased its current home, the former Chiswick Poly building and renamed it Cone Ripman House.
Then in 2007 Andrew Lloyd Webber agreed to become ArtsEd’s president. A £3.5 million refurbishment grant from the Lloyd Webber Foundation soon followed. The on-site Lloyd Webber Theatre which opened (tactfully and gratefully, one presumes) with a production of Evita in 2013, is state of the art – good sight lines, acoustics training facilities and accessibility. No wonder Chiswick locals, see it as “their” local theatre and flock to buy tickets – thereby providing the students with a “proper” paying audience for their in-training productions.
The flagship course at ArtsEd is the BA degree in Musical Theatre. Originally set up in the 1970s, this well-established course has been validated by City University since 2002, becoming a degree course at that point.
“Every single one of our 2016 graduating students was signed up with an independent agent when they left us and one of our current students already has over thirty offers although we don’t allow them to sign until after the showcase in March”, says Hocking.
So what advice should teachers be giving to school students keen to apply to train in musical theatre? “Our BA is a determinedly ‘triple threat’ course, so students’ time is evenly divided between acting, dance and singing and each student has two singing lessons per week,” explains Chris. “Acting classes teach a wide range of acting styles and techniques and work on the development both of confidence and an expressive voice. Weekly dance classes cover, among other styles, jazz, classical ballet, tap, street jazz and contemporary.”
Of course it’s heavily oversubscribed. Chris and his colleagues get over 2000 applications each year for the 48 places they can offer. And, as usual with drama schools there’s an audition fee – £45 in this case.
“We are looking for raw potential”
Admission is by direct application rather than through UCAS. “We are looking for raw potential” says Chris, making it clear that you don’t for instance, have to be a brilliant dancer to be offered a place. The auditions panel will be expert in spotting what an applicant might achieve with specialist training. “The student who’s been overcoached doesn’t impress, but the one who can tell stories through music does” he says. “Listening skills are important too and lads who’ve done a lot of sport often have what it takes.”
Chris stresses “individuality” as a desirable trait in a successful applicant. Vocal health is also prioritised. ArtsEd has recently signed up to the industry’s Time4Change charter which commits it to scrupulously careful and thorough mental health support for each student.
You can see why so many young people have it at the top of their wish list. And it looks set to go on offering top notch training and developing further under Chris’s leadership from this autumn.